Chris Catanach and Five Student-Athletes Earn All-Region Honors

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The top-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team led all region schools with four players on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-South Region team, as UT added another honorable mention choice while Chris Catanach was South Region Coach of the Year.

Among the UT selections are Marissa Lisenbee, Kahley Patrick, Jessica Wagner and Berkley Whaley. Meagan Burke was honorable mention.

Whaley, a junior outside hitter from St. Petersburg, Fla., earns the honor for the second consecutive season as she is also a two-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. A five-time SSC Player of the Week in 2014, Whaley is the team leader with 381 kills, 21 service aces and 428.0 points while hitting an astounding .371 from her outside hitter spot.

Lisenbee, a junior from Seminole, Fla., was a second-team all-region choice as a sophomore in 2013. The rightside hitter is second on the team with 255 kills and also sports a .366 hitting percentage. She has also tallied 43 blocks on the season.

Patrick, a four-year starting setter from Clearwater, Fla., is among the national leaders this season with 1,160 assists while averaging 12.08 per set. She also leads the team with 254 digs and ranks second with 20 service aces. She currently stands at 4,568 career assists, which ranks her fifth in program history.

Wagner, a junior middle hitter from Cape Coral, Fla., is a first-team all-region selection for the second straight season. She currently owns a .409 hitting percentage and leads all Spartans with 88 total blocks. She also has a team-leading 23 solo blocks.

Burke, a senior middle hitter from Jacksonville, is a two-sport star in both volleyball and softball, who is also an Academic All-American in both sports. Burke is a three-time all-region selection and two-time All-American. She is currently the nation's leader with a .422 attack percentage.

Now in his 31st year at the helm of the Spartans, he boasts a career 966-166 record and UT is the current No. 1 team in the nation according to the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll. They recently won their sixth consecutive regional championship. Tampa has dominated the Sunshine State Conference, completing the last three regular seasons without a loss spanning 54 matches. This marks Catanach's unprecedented 14th AVCA Region Coach of the Year honor, winning in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

AVCA all-region awards are voted on by region coaches. All first team members will be on the ballot for All-American honors.